Meet Me at Midnight
by Loveandcoffeeandsimplicities
Summary: When a tragedy occurs, will Linstead be able to find their way back to each other through it all? Linstead. I do not own the show.
1. Chapter 1

It was fall in Chicago. The leaves had turned a beautiful orange and the crisp morning air was paired with the perfect scarf and jacket for Erin Lindsay. As she drove the streets to the precinct, she took in her surroundings. Children playing in the leaves in the park with their parents watching from nearby benches; teenagers holding hands as they walked close together. People seemed happy, she decided, something that had been lacking in her life as of late.

As she pulled into her parking spot outside of the precinct, she shut her car off and sat still for a moment, gathering herself. If she dug deep enough, she knew where her sadness stemmed from. She was missing Nadia. The poor girl barely had turned her life around before it was snatched away from her and that had done a number on Erin. She had fallen down the rabbit hole and if it wasn't for pure pigheaded stubbornness from Hank, she wasn't sure if she would have found her way out again. Sighing, she pushed the thoughts of Nadia to the back of her mind; not forgotten, but far away enough to be able to do her job.

Opening her car door, she stepped out into the cool air and tightened her jacket more snuggly around her before heading into the building. She made her way to the floor she worked on and headed straight for the breakroom with one thought in mind: coffee. Upon entering the room, she wasn't surprised to find her partner, Jay Halstead. They had always danced a fine line of 'could they or couldn't they', and finally had just said fuck it and taken the plunge. It was exhilarating, to say the least. Exhilarating to finally push passed the boundaries they, (she), had put in place. Dating Jay was the best thing to have ever happened to her, apart from Hank taking her in.

Just then, a soft throat cleared and Erin looked up to spot Jay smiling softly at her.

"Morning, Lindsay," he greeted her.

"Halstead," she replied, smirk toying at her lips. This was the game they played with one another. A game that allowed them to see how long they could remain professional throughout the day but behind closed doors…well, the game changed.

"How are we this morning?" Jay asked, bumping her away from the coffee pot with his hip so he could pour himself his own cup.

Erin snorted. "'We' are fine."

Jay cocked an eyebrow. "That's it? Just 'fine'?"

Erin nodded. "Yep."

"I call bull on that," Jay said wisely, and Erin resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. He knew her so well.

"Fine, I may be missing Nadia today," she admitted reluctantly. Erin hated showing any form of weakness. She couldn't, if she wanted to be a good detective. She watched as Jay set down his coffee mug and made his way towards her. He placed a gentle hand to her cheek and for a moment, she leaned into.

"It's okay to miss her," he said softly.

"Not if I want to be a good detective. I need to keep my emotions in check," she whispered, staring at his shoulder.

He ran the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone. "Look at me, Erin."

Inhaling shakily, she brought her hazel hues to meet his.

"Just because you show emotion does not mean you're a bad detective. It means you're a detective with heart," he said quietly but firmly, eyes tracing hers'. Erin searched his face for any hint of doubt behind his words but found none. She nodded a moment later, eyes closing as she pressed a feather-light kiss to his palm.

"Thanks," she whispered, and he brushed his lips against her forehead before pulling back.

"I'll see you at home, Lindsay," he said, playful demeanor back.

"It's a date, Halstead," she quipped, and he laughed.

XXX

"Okay, team, get into position," Voight's voice called over Erin's earpiece and she nodded at Jay, who kicked the door in before running into the worn down house. Bolting in after him, Erin kept her gun raised and her eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. They were currently on the hunt for James Morgan, runner of a sex trafficking ring that seemed to be sweeping girls off the streets astoundingly fast.

Looking at Jay for a moment, Erin made a split-second decision to head up the stairs while his back was turned. She knew he'd yell at her for her recklessness but she'd deal with that later; right now, they needed to cover more ground and the only way that would happen was if they split up.

Upon reaching the second landing, Erin turned her flashlight on and held it over her gun as she stepped into a room that was pitch black. Eyes scanning every inch of the room, she noted that no one was in there with her. She moved onto the next room.

Room by room it went until she was at the last one. She wasn't quite sure why, but something told her to be more cautious with this room. Following her gut instinct, she opened the door slowly, peering around cautiously. She felt her heart fall through her stomach once she saw the room and for good reason.

In the middle of the room there was a bomb that was ticking on a timer. By the looks of it, she had triggered it when she opened the door and it had about thirty seconds until it went off. Swallowing down her nerves, she inched back from the door as slowly as she dared before turning on her feel and running down the hall and towards the stairs.

"We have to get out of here. Now!" Erin yelled.

"Lindsay, where the hell did you go?" Jay demanded. He paused upon seeing her petrified face. "What? What is it?"

"Bomb, upstairs. I triggered it," she said, and began ushering everyone out. Ruzek and Burgess were outside with Voight and Atwater so there was no concern there. It was just Jay and Dawson.

"Antonio, we've got to go! Now!" Erin yelled. She saw Antonio fly past her and then she grabbed Jay's arm and they were out of the building just as it erupted into a fiery storm. She felt her feet leave the earth as she was catapulted through the air and briefly wondered if this was how she was going to die. Then, her body slammed into the ground, her head taking the brunt of it, and she succumbed to the black tidal wave with open arms

**Author's note: **Multi-fic Linstead cause I had a lot of fun writing the oneshot. Let me know what you think? XXX


	2. Chapter 2

Once the ringing in Jay's ears stopped and he was less disoriented, he got his bearings back.

Erin.

Erin.

_Erin. Where was she?_

"Erin?" Jay shouted through the haze of people screaming. Who was screaming?

"Easy, Halstead," a voice said, and he blinked. This was Ruzek, keeping him in place with a hand to his shoulder. He fought off the sudden impulse to shove it off him.

"Where's Erin?" Jay demanded, standing to his feet with the help of Ruzek.

"Voight's with her. It's…not good, man," he said softly. That left knots twisting in Jay's stomach and he looked around in a rush, spotting Voight kneeling next to her on the ground. Jay sucked in a sharp, wavering breath at the sight of her limp body. Suddenly, he forgot where he was for a moment and it was only the pressure of Ruzek holding his arm that kept him standing upright.

"Erin!" Jay shouted desperately, surging forward, breaking free of his friend's hold. He ran towards Hank and Erin, dropping to his knees unsteadily once he got there. Looking down at the woman he loved, he noticed the gash on her forehead. Blood was gushing from it and suddenly he had to fight the urge to not toss his cookies.

Jay had always considered himself a tough guy. Doing a tour with the army, losing his mom, and then being kidnapped. He had survived a lot. But, if Erin didn't pull through, he knew he wouldn't either.

"What do you need me to do, Sarge?" Jay asked because he had to do _something_. Just standing there and watching the love of his life bleeding on the ground was not an option for him.

"Keep holding my jacket to her forehead; apply pressure and try to stop the bleeding as much as you can," Voight replied in his gravelly voice. Jay and Voight switched places and, as Jay replaced Voight's hands with his own, he noticed the tremors running through the older man's. He knew just how scared he was.

"Where's the damn ambulance?" Jay demanded, applying pressure to the gash on his girlfriend's forehead. He studied her face, noting it was drained of color and felt his stomach flip uncomfortably.

"They're about three minutes out." This was Atwater, who was hanging up his cell phone.

Jay's teeth snapped together. He wasn't sure if Erin had three minutes. Instead of losing his temper and voicing that complaint, though, he focused all of his energy on Erin.

Mercifully, the ambulance arrived in two and a half minutes and the medics were jumping out of the back of it with a stretcher in tow. Voight was barking instructions at them but Jay knew he was masking his fear; that he feared for the life of the only family he had left.

When they strapped Erin onto the gurney, Jay didn't stop applying pressure to his girlfriend's wound, not once. He ran with them to ambulance and climbed into the bus after they had wheeled Erin in.

"We'll meet you at the hospital," was all Voight said before the medic shut the door. Jay gripped Erin's cold hand in his, shuddering at the lack of warmth.

"Hold on, baby," he said softly.

XXX

When the reached the hospital and the back door of the bus was open, Jay breathed a sigh of relief. There was Natalie, waiting to help wheel in his girlfriend.

"Nat!" Jay exclaimed as he jumped out of the back of the vehicle and began running into the hospital after his brother's fiancé.

"What happened, Jay? Hank filled us in a little but I need the full details to understand the extent of her injuries," Natalie explained as she ran. When they reached the end of the hallway, Jay felt like sighing in relief for the second time; Will was there, waiting for them. His brother would know what to do; how to fix this.

"We were raiding a house and she left my side…God, why did she have to leave my side?" Jay whispered, and Will placed his hand on his shoulder. He pooled his strength from his brother and continued. "One minute she was with me, the next she was yelling there was a bomb that had been triggered and we needed to get the hell out of the house. It all happened so _fast_. Dawson sprinted from the house, with Erin and I following. Then the bomb went off and we flew through the air. Erin hit her head and now we're here."

Will nodded as he looked at Natalie. "Prep her for surgery."

Surgery?

"Surgery?" Jay's voice was shaky, but Will remained calm.

"We just need to make sure there's no swelling on her brain from where it took the impact of the fall," he explained, and Jay nodded. Then, Will looked at a nurse who was walking passed them.

"Abby, you remember Jay?" Will asked, and Abby nodded, smiling.

"The other Halstead," she replied, and Jay tried to return the smile as much as he could given the situation.

"Yeah, my brother. I need you to pull him into an examination room and I'll meet you there," he said.

Jay's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Will sighed exasperatedly. "Jay, you were just by a bomb that went off. I'm making sure everything checks out okay."

Jay opened his mouth to protest but Will leveled him with a look and it snapped shut on it's own accord.

"Alright," he muttered and followed Abby into an examination room, Will saying he'd be right there.

XXX

After getting a thorough examination by his brother, Jay had been deemed a little bruised but healthy. He stood impatiently from the bed he had been sitting on and began to make his way to the door. It was his brother's hand on his shoulder that caused him pause.

"Where are you going?" Will asked incredulously.

"Where do you think?" Jay hissed. "To see how Erin's doing."

Will sighed. "Jay, she's still in surgery. Nat said she'd page when they were through or if any complications arose."

That was not the answer Jay was looking for. He needed to be doing something, _anything_, to get his mind off things. Just then, Will's pager went off and Jay felt his heart stutter, before leaping into his throat.

"She's out of surgery and in recovery room three," he said.

"Not ICU?" Jay asked, daring himself to be hopeful for the first time since the bomb went off.

Will smiled. "Not in ICU. C'mon, I'll take you to her room."

XXX

Once inside room three, Jay's breath hitched in his throat as he took in his girlfriend. She looked so small and pale lying in the bed. He sat down next to her, picking up her hand, which was significantly warmer than it had been in the ambulance. Bringing the back of her palm to his lips, he placed a gentle kiss there.

"Hey, you," he murmured, eyes tracing his love's face. She seemed peaceful. "You've got a lot of people worried about you so how about you do me a favor and open your pretty eyes for me?"

When she didn't respond, he turned his attention to her heart monitor, watching the steady line beeping softly. Then, his eyes travelled to her chest, watching the rise and fall of every inhalation and exhalation she was having. Thank God she was still breathing.

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there, waiting for her to open her eyes, but she did so at last.

Her eyebrows scrunched up, (rather adorably, if he was being honest) as she slowly came to. Opening her eyes, she glanced around the room, before her eyes landed on him.

"Jay?" Erin whispered.

"Hey, baby," he murmured, not ashamed of the tears in his eyes.

"What happened?" Erin asked lowly.

"What do you remember?" Jay asked.

She thought about it and he gave her all the time she needed.

Finally, she looked up at him. "There was a bomb."

"Yes," he replied, relieved to find out her memories still seemed to be intact.

"Is everyone else okay?" Erin demanded hoarsely, and he winced as he helped her sip some water through a straw in the cup that was on her nightstand.

"Yes, hon. You're the only one who got hurt," he murmured. "What were you thinking? Leaving my side like that?"

"I was thinking that I needed to see if there were any victims upstairs. Morgan must've been expecting us because the bomb was ready to be triggered as soon as I reached the last room," she said. He nodded.

"We'll catch him," he promised.

"I know," she muttered, eyes growing heavy.

"Sleep now," he whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

"Stay with me?" Erin mumbled, eyes slipping closed.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised quietly, and she nodded, seemingly content before falling asleep. He watched her, vowing to himself he'd be the one to bring Morgan down for endangering them, and especially her, in this way, if it was the last thing he did.

**Author's note: **More angst to come! Let me know what you think? Xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Erin was released from the hospital the next day and to say she was happy would be an understatement. She was simply thrilled to be able to go back to work and continue the hunt for James. She knew that she'd have to get the all clear from Hank first but she wasn't too worried about that; he wanted this monster off the streets almost as much as she did.

Jay pushed her wheelchair to the entrance of the hospital were Kim and Adam were waiting. She smiled softly at the sight of her best friend.

"Hey, Kim," she greeted her.

The brown-haired woman smiled in return. "You're an idiot you know that? Leaving Jay's side like that."

Erin laughed. "I know."

Kim cracked a grin. "Good."

Just then, Adam opened the door of his car and Jay helped Erin into the backseat. She sighed contentedly once she was buckled in: she was going home.

XXX

The next day brought Erin back at work. She was pouring herself a cup of coffee, lost in her thoughts about James Morgan when someone cleared their throat. Startled, she looked up to spot Hank looking at her.

"How you feeling, kid?" Voight asked in his low, rumbly voice. Erin shrugged.

"Pretty good, boss," she replied with a smile and Voight nodded his head.

"Gave us all quite the scare there, you know that?" Voight asked, and Erin sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that, truly," she murmured.

"Just stick with your partner from now on, alright?" Voight replied, and Erin nodded.

"I'll make sure of it, Voight," came a familiar voice and Erin turned around to spot Jay in the breakroom with them. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled, nonetheless.

Voight nodded. "Good. Now get your coffees and meet me in the office for our next plan of action." With that, the older man left the breakroom and Erin was left alone with her boyfriend and, more importantly, her partner.

"Did you sleep alright last night?" The soft question was out of Jay's mouth as soon as it was just the two of them.

Erin quirked an eyebrow. "You tell me. You spent the night watching me sleep, did you not?"

Jay grinned. "Guilty."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Babe, I love that you want to make sure I'm okay but you need sleep, too, if you want to be at your best level of performance."

"Why does that sound like dirty talk?" Jay smirked.

"Whatever, Halstead. Mind out of the gutter," Erin laughed, taking a sip of her coffee and bumping him out of the way with her hip as she made her way into the office. She smiled at the sound of his laughter.

Once the two of them had joined everyone else, the team got down to business.

"So," Voight began. "Morgan was expecting us, that much is clear. The question is: who gave him the tip?"

"It could have been anyone, Serge," Antonio replied. "Anyone of those rats he calls friends."

Erin snorted. "James Morgan doesn't do friends, Dawson."

"Fine, acquaintances. Better?" Antonio rephrased, and Erin nodded.

"Much. But, you raise an excellent point. It had to be someone from his inner circle. We have eyes on him; what's to say he doesn't have eyes on us?" Erin poised the question as she looked around the room at her colleagues, her friends.

Ruzek studied the board outlining all the facts they had collected about James Morgan so far.

"Well, if there is someone who's spying on us from his inner circle, we need to ramp-up our game," the detective said.

"Yes, but how? I mean, if we don't know who we're looking for, it's like we're chasing ghosts," Jay replied, and Erin frowned, studying the board.

After a moment, she responded. "We find his weak spot and hit him where it hurts."

Jay looked at her before grinning slightly. "Diabolical. I dig it."

Erin rolled her eyes fondly as she looked back at Hank.

"Where do you need me?" Erin asked the veteran detective, and he studied her.

"Where do you want to be?" Voight asked.

Erin didn't have to think twice. "In his inner circle as one of the girls."

"Lindsay, no," Jay said, tone hard. Erin didn't even spare him a glance as she looked at the man who had become a father to her all those years ago.

"You'll have a wire on you at all times, got it?" Voight said, and Erin nodded.

"Understood," she replied.

"Voight, you can't be seriously thinking this is a good idea," Jay said, and Erin turned to face him, arms folded.

"I'm a big girl, Halstead. And, I'm the best option for the team. Joining a sex trafficking ring that has booze and lord knows whatever else paraphernalia? Perfect for me," she stated firmly.

Just as Jay opened his mouth to pop off with something, Voight spoke up.

"Enough, the both of you. You're acting like damn children. Halstead, Erin _is _our best option at getting knowledge from the inner circle. As her partner, you'll have firsthand knowledge of her whereabouts and eyes on her at all time. Erin, I'm extending some trust here for you to know what you're doing and come back to this team in one piece. You two understand?" Voight demanded.

Staring at each other for a minute, wordless communication flowing between them, the two detectives nodded their understanding and that was that.

XXX

Once they were back at their apartment, it didn't take them long to go right back to the heat of their argument.

"What the hell was that?" Erin demanded.

"I don't want you going undercover in a sex trafficking ring, plain and simple!" Jay yelled.

"That's not your choice to make!" Erin shouted back equally as loud. Then, she wasn't quite sure how it happened, Jay had picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, lips meeting in a frenzied kiss of passion.

"Take." Kiss. "This." Kiss. "Off." Jay's demand was met by a low moan building up in the back of Erin's throat and she hastened to rid herself of her shirt. Jay unclasped her bra, letting it fall in some random spot as he placed her on the bed. Then, before she had time to blink, her pants were off and he was dipping a finger in her wet folds.

"God," she groaned.

"You going to be a good girl and make sure you come back to me safe and sound?" Jay demanded as he rubbed her clit fiercely. She was teetering on the cliff of Nirvana and sanity and knew she wouldn't last long.

"Babe, I need to feel you," she moaned, and he hushed her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Your wish is my command," he murmured, getting rid of his jeans before sliding off his boxers. Thankfully, she was on the pill so they never worried about a condom and they both had gotten checked to see if they were clean, (which, they were) before having sex, so he knew she wanted to feel him completely. He thrusted in her in one swift moment, and Erin felt her eyes roll into the back of her head.

As he pounded into her at a relentless pace Erin knew this was about him reassuring himself that she would be fine; that she would come back to them. To him. She tried to reiterate that reassurance with gentle caresses of her lips. She kissed every inch of exposed skin that could, starting with his shoulders and, when he flipped them, she ended up placing one near his navel before beginning to ride him.

Her nails pierced his shoulders as moan after moan escaped her. She could feel her orgasm growing in her belly and moaned even more.

"A-Almost there," she muttered, sweat glistening on her skin.

Jay moved his hand to her clit once more and began rubbing in fast, circular motions and that was all it took for Erin to come undone. With one final gasp, she screamed as she came unglued. Chasing after his own orgasm, Erin felt her boyfriend shoot into her not too long after, and she promptly fell down onto his chest, nestling inside of his arms.

After laying there for a few minutes, they went and cleaned themselves before going back to bed hand-in-hand. Jay tugged Erin into his chest and she wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You're really going to do this, huh? Go undercover?" Jay asked, and Erin nodded, not finding the need to verbalize her answer. She felt him place a kiss on her temple.

"Just, be careful okay? If anything happens to you, I'm holding you personally responsible," he muttered and she smiled tiredly.

"I love you," she whispered into the stillness of the night.

"Come back to me in one piece, baby," he replied, kissing her temple one more time.

Then, with that as her final thought, she let sleep lull her into its clutches.

**Author's note: Enjoy. Xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

Jay watched as Erin slept, trailing his fingers lightly through her hair. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about his girlfriend going undercover in a sex trafficking ring but he knew that he wasn't thrilled. Watching her sleeping form, he wondered what exactly would happen to her if things went south and her cover was blown. Morgan would kill her, that much he knew without a doubt. That thought alone had him tugging her closer to him. She mumbled in her sleep incoherently for a moment, before her face smoothed out and she was back in a deep sleep.

Sighing, he placed a gentle kiss onto her shoulder blade before pushing his thoughts and worries to the back of his mind, where they could be dealt with in the light of day. He too succumbed to sleep then, holding onto Erin tightly.

XXX

The next morning brought an empty bed and, for a moment, a panicked Jay. That was, until he smelt the coffee filtering through their apartment. Sliding into his boxers, then his favorite pair of sweats, Jay made his way out into the kitchen where he spotted Erin pouring the coffee and buttering toast. He took note of the fact that she was in his t-shirt and it fell past her thighs, making her look completely adorable.

"Morning, baby," he murmured lowly into her ear as he snaked his arms around her tummy. Erin leaned back into his embrace and sighed happily.

"Morning, hottie," she greeted him, and Jay laughed.

"After last night's escapades? I should hope you'd find me hot," he teased, and Erin rolled her eyes. He kissed the crinkle in the corner of her eye, before placing one on her shoulder blade. Finally, he let her go as he went to get plates for their breakfast. Normally, they'd have something more filling than toast but he guessed both of their appetites were rather small considering today was the day she went undercover. Somehow, in between their night of passionate sex and the next morning, Voight had gotten Erin her alias and her reasons for joining the trafficking ring. Or, so Erin had said.

When they finished their breakfast, Jay wanted to prolong the inevitable for as long as he could.

"Shower?" Jay asked mischievously, but Erin shook her head apologetically.

"I can't babe. I promised Hank I'd be at the precinct early enough so we could finalize the plans," she said.

Something akin to fear surfaced in Jay's stomach but instead of showing it, he chose another tactic. Folding his arms, he leveled Erin with a look.

"So, what? You were just going to go there without me and catch me up to speed with everyone else? Didn't realize you thought so little of me," he remarked. He knew his words were harsh and regretted them the instant they were out of his mouth but Erin didn't falter when she cupped his cheek.

"Don't do that, babe," she whispered. "Don't push me away in order to make this less complicated. You know I was going to debrief you first. You can come with me, too. If you want. We need to be on the same side here."

Jay sighed and pressed his lips gently to his love's forehead, holding them there for an immeasurable amount of time. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Erin stood up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms as high up on him as she could and he sucked her love up greedily.

"It's okay," she murmured. "You're okay. Now, let's go."

XXX

By the time they got ready and made it to the precinct, thanks to Erin's driving, Voight was walking in at the same time they were. They headed straight to breakroom to get coffee before going into their main meeting room.

"So, Erin, I've got you a ticket into Morgan's inner most group. Your alias is Anastasia and you have an alcohol addiction, along with a pill addiction," Voight stated.

Jay felt his stomach clench uncomfortably at the thought of his girlfriend having to be brought in front of her demons once more but he kept his mouth firmly shut, knowing now was not the time nor place to contradict his boss.

"No problem there," Erin said, accepting the fake I.D. Voight handed her. Jay watched her study the picture and information, before tucking it into her wallet.

"No gun, handcuffs, or taser on you whatsoever," Voight continued, and Jay inhaled sharply.

"Are we sure we can't at least keep the taser?" Jay asked, and Voight shook his head.

"Puts her at too great of a risk if things go south and they end up turning the tables on her. Moving on. You're going to be dealing with some of the lowest scum that walk this earth, so be prepared to be treated like you're nothing. To them, you are nothing. Work your way into gaining Morgan's trust, alright?" Voight asked, and Erin nodded.

The three of them talked for about another twenty minutes before the rest of the team started to trickle in. When Ruzek, the last one to arrive, was in his seat, Voight began explaining what Jay and Erin already knew. Then, it was as if time had sped up, and Jay found himself driving to the alleyway he was supposed to drop Erin off in so she could walk to the warehouses that Morgan ran his "business" in.

Letting the car idle, Jay looked at Erin.

"I need you to promise me something," he said quietly, and she looked at him. "Promise me you'll be alive when this all said and done."

"Jay…," Erin began but he interrupted her.

"No, _promise me_, please. Please," he whispered, feeling his voice catch. He swallowed down the lump in his throat that was pestering him and looked at her. "Please, baby. Promise me."

She slowly nodded "I promise."

With those two words, Jay's heart beat a little less harshly and he was able to watch her get out of the car, look around, and make her way down alleyway and out of his sight a little more calmly.

He turned on his earpiece.

"Erin, can you hear me?" Jay asked.

"I'll take a tall black coffee, two sugars. Thanks doll," Erin said. Then, a whispered, "yes".

And, the game was on.

**Author's note: Up next, Erin joins the trafficking ring. Reviews are lovely! Xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

Erin watched as a black van pulled up at the corner of the street she was on. This was her ride. The door slid open.

"Get in," a low voice said. Erin stayed calm as she nodded her head and got into the van. Then, the door was being shut and they were on their way. Erin glanced around at the people in the van. There were three, not including her. The driver, front seat passenger, and then the guy who told her to get in. She had already taken out her ear piece and just left the wire that was taped to her chest; she knew Jay would still be able to hear everything.

"Anastasia Adams?" The guy asked.

Erin smirked. "That's what they call me."

"I'm Peter and these two are Finn and Charles," Peter nodded his head at the driver and front seat passenger. Erin nodded her head at them before looking around the van.

"Comfortable," she commented, and Pete shot a glare at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Princess, were we supposed to cater to you?" Peter snapped, and Erin traced her top lip with her tongue, studying him.

"You've got a bit of an attitude, don't you? But, if I had to guess, I'd say you're all bark and no bite," she replied.

It all happened so quickly, Erin barely had time to keep up with it. One moment she was taunting Peter, the next he was backhanding her across the face. Her neck snapped as her head was jerked to the side. Inhaling sharply, Erin leveled him with a look.

"Peter, what the fuck?" Erin demanded, and it was Peter's turn to smirk.

"That'll teach you to respect your superiors. Oh, and Anastasia? I wouldn't try that shit with James. His temper is three times as large as mine. However, it _would _be fun to see him beat your ass, so try it. I dare you," Peter chuckled lowly.

Erin kept her mouth shut as her cheekbone throbbed. She briefly wondered if it was broken but didn't dwell on it too long.

"Get up, we're here," Peter snapped and Erin stood to her feet quickly, in no mood to get a rise out of him again. "Finn, you know what to do."

Erin watched as Finn came towards her and she willed herself to remain calm and not punch him like her gut was telling her to do. Finn slipped a blindfold over her eyes, and Erin frowned.

"What's with the blindfold, Peter?" Erin hissed.

"It's protocol, Anastasia. Boss's rule," came the reply. She felt her elbow being grabbed and was jerked forward.

"I can walk, thanks," she snapped, and wrenched her elbow out of his grasp. Peter laughed as she worked hard to not trip on her feet; having her eyesight taken from her was not something she had counted on.

"Right, I'm going to go ahead and get in there and talk to Kelsie," Peter said. "Finn, make sure Anastasia gets to her room before she meets the boss later."

Finn must've given his consent because then it was just the two of them.

"Don't fight Peter," Finn said quietly, hand lightly touching her elbow.

"What?" Erin asked in surprise.

"I'm serious Anastasia, he's worse than Morgan. I've seen plenty of girls come into this circle and not one of them made it out alive," Finn whispered.

"Why are you telling me this?" Erin asked lowly, willing herself to not panic. She had wanted in on the trafficking ring so knew that meant she had to be tough as nails for whatever came her way.

"You think I can't spot a cop from a mile away?" Finn asked lowly, and Erin balked. Shit. How had her cover been blown that quickly? She knew Jay must be panicking like mad at this point but she kept it cool and collected.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said calmly. "The only time I deal with cops are when I'm pressing charges against whatever fucker decided to slap me around."

"Relax, I'm a cop, too," Finn muttered and _that _stopped Erin in her tracks.

"What?" Erin whispered.

"Trust me, I'll tell you about it when I get you to your room, okay? Just keep quiet, kid," Finn replied.

XXX

By the time they got into Erin's room, she had more questions than she did answers and she was getting antsy. Finn took the blindfold off and she blinked into the dim light of the room. They stared at each other for several moments before Finn spoke up.

"Would it help you if I showed you my badge?" Finn asked, and Erin nodded. The taller man bent down and lifted his jeans up at his right ankle, pulling the badge out of a holder he had wrapped around his ankle. Erin accepted it when he handed it to her and studied it.

"You're from New York?" Erin asked in surprise.

"I'm doing a special favor for Benson," he replied.

Now she was really intrigued. "You know Olivia?"

"Yes, as do you, Erin," Finn said.

"How do you know my name?" Erin demanded.

"You honestly think Voight and Benson would have sent you on this little undercover operation without backup? Benson was brought in on the loop as soon as it was determined you were going undercover because, as you know, she specializes in sex crimes," Finn said quietly. Erin knew she should be mad that Voight went behind her back and brought in help without telling her but in all honesty, she was just really happy to know she had backup if something should go wrong.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do: we'll continue going on as if we don't know each other. You'll treat me like shit if you have to; whatever it takes for me to prove to Morgan that he can trust me. And, you," she said, and he nodded.

"It's not going to be a pretty job. You're going to see a lot of tough shit and women get beat," Finn warned.

Mind on Nadia and the past she had endured herself, Erin locked her eyes on Finn in a steely gaze. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

With that, Finn told Erin to hang tight until Peter came and got her to meet Morgan. Without much else to do, she sat down on the small cot that was her bed and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

**Author's note: So, the next couple of chapters will have brief Halstead moments but it'll pick back up pretty quickly. Hope you keep reading and reviewing! Xxx**


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